The average total generating cost for nuclear energy in the US in 2018 was $31.88 per megawatt-hour (MWh) – 7.1% lower than in 2017 and nearly 25% below the 2012 peak costs, a report by the Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute said.Total generating costs include capital, fuel, and operating costs – all the costs necessary to produce electricity from a nuclear power plant.The 7.1% reduction in total generating costs year-over-year is due to a 9.3% reduction in fuel, an 8.7% reduction in capital expenditures and a 5.9% reduction in operations costs.